Curse In The Eye Of The Beholder
by anneikenskywalker
Summary: On the day of a special event for the Mikaelson Family, a powerful curse suddenly finds Elena standing alone at the altar without Elijah...or anyone else for that matter. THIS IS THE 6th & LAST INSTALLMENT OF MY ELENA/ELIJAH SERIES FOLLOWING: Memories Bring You Near, Blood and Sacrifice, Lies My Brother Told Me, Some Things You Can't Go Back To and Why We Fight
1. Chapter 1

_((Hello all! Long time no see! I've decided to continue the Elijah/Elena saga following my last story "Why We Fight". This is just an idea that came to me. Of course, we will see all the other surviving members of the original family and there will be a mystery and some surprises as well. Enjoy! This is just a taste. Will update soon!))_

 _ **New Orleans, Louisiana….**_

"Ma'am…May I _just_ —" the teenage flower assistant pleaded in a southern drawl, trying to push his way past Caroline, who had stopped him in the courtyard of the Mikaelson Mansion when she noticed that the boxes of freshly cut and arranged flowers inside were not what she had ordered.

" _No!_ " Caroline said, narrowing her eyes and raising a finger to silence him, "You _may not!_ I'm not going _anywhere!_ And neither is that abomination in your arms!"

"But, it's _quite_ heavy—" the young man sighed, adjusting the weight of the box of flowers in his arms with the aid of his knee.

"Ah! _Quite_!" Caroline cried victoriously, standing in the middle of all the commotion, people swirling about her getting ready for the day ahead, in her white satin bathrobe and large curlers in her hair, "The correct use of ' _quite'_ in the sentence that just came of your mouth and your extreme politeness suggests to me that you are an educated man?"

"Yes…" the young man winced, "Ole Miss, Ma'am. This is my summer job while I'm here visiting my grandparents—"

"Well…" Caroline cooed with fake batting eyes, putting her hands on her hips, "Ain't that _sweet as pie?_ …"

Then her eyes grew darker, "So tell me Ole Miss Frat Boy Number Four, how is it that there are white roses walking past me in huge boxes of bouquets and table vases and decorative valences, when I ordered orchids!?"

"Charlie, let me take that for you…" one of the other floral assistants came up from behind Caroline and offered to take the box from his co-worker

"Oh! _Thank God_!" Charlie sighed, ready to hand it over

" _NO!"_ Caroline cried, whipping the box away from both of them in the middle of the exchange with vampire speed, " _NO!_ Not _one more_ box of roses makes it past me until I see white orchids, gentleman… _white orchids_! O-R-C-H-I-D-S!"

"Ma'am, we just deliver the flowers," the second assistant said sheepishly, though he was a good foot taller than the blonde firecracker standing between him and his co-worker, who looked like a lineman on the college football team, "We don't know anything about the orders, we just deliver—"

"Yes! _But_ , you carried them _in_ , didn't you?" Caroline replied, holding the heavy box without breaking a sweat

"Yes—yes, Ma'am," Charlie answered, looking her up and down, perplexed by her strength

" _Well…_ now that I've told you the order is _wrong,_ you two can carry them all _out! Then,_ I want you to drive your little truck back over to Dauphine Street and tell that gayer than a maypole florist that my fiance hired to decorate this wedding, to get onto his magical unicorn and personally bring me my _damned orchids_!" Caroline screamed

"Alrighty, then!" Rebekah chimed in, seemingly wedging her way between Caroline and the boys out of nowhere, then taking the box of roses and lifting it high out of Caroline's reach, "I think you've terrified these poor boys enough, Caroline. I'll take it from here. You should go upstairs and finish getting ready."

Caroline and Rebekah stared at each other for a long time before Caroline finally took in a calming breath and straightened her robe. She gave Rebekah a smile and nod.

"Thank you…" she said softly, then turned and looked at the two boys with narrowing eyes that focused hard on them as she backed away.

" _White_ … _orchids_ …" she said in a menacing voice, pointing a finger at them.

"Yes, Ma'am," the second assistant replied, his voice a little haunted

After a few moments, when Caroline had turned and disappeared into the crowd, Charlie let out the breath he had been holding in and looked at his co-worker, "Holy Christ on a cracker…"

"Try _living_ with her," Rebekah smiled, handing the box of roses back to Charlie, "So…what do you say I help you gents load up your van, before the ice princess comes back?"

Both men nodded readily, though still dumbstruck.

After another moment of silence, Rebekah said, "Well…hop to it! Or she'll climb down from her crazy tree and tear out _all_ of our livers!"

Her words seemed to snap the boys out of their daze and they immediately set to work.

Charlie turned back toward the van with his box and the second assistant rushed in among the tables set up in the courtyard and began organizing the boxes they had already brought in.

Rebekah sighed as she walked over and grabbed one of the vases of cut white roses that had already been set out on a table by one of the staff…then she looked up and saw Kol rush by.

"Caroline threatening the help, again?" he asked as he rounded the front of the table, quickly kissed Rebekah's cheek, then made for the stairs that would lead up to the second level of the mansion.

"Of course," Rebekah smirked

"Then we are staying right on time!" Kol replied with a chuckle, looking at his watch and taking two steps at a time up toward the family quarters.

"How's Nik coming along?" Rebekah called as she moved toward a second table and took another vase of flowers from the hands of one of the caterers who was about to put it out as a centerpiece.

"He's in his room, hyperventilating into a paper bag!" Kol called over the open rail with a laugh

"Well….then we _are_ right on time…." Rebekah said to herself as she turned around and smirked as she picked up another vase of roses.

# # # # # # # # # #

"We are going to be _so_ _late_!" Elena observed as she walked out of the kitchen of Elijah's mansion on the coast, in one of the flush pink dresses that Caroline had picked out, putting on her earrings as she went, "Caroline's going to kill me."

When they were both on, she stopped at the full length hall mirror to check her hair, then leaned forward and pursed her lips together to fix her lip gloss.

Elena then turned toward the stairwell and called up it as she sat gracefully down on the bottom step and put on her high heels, "Elijah! It's nearly eleven! Let's go! You can primp in the car!"

As was his character, Elijah didn't yell out a reply, but the scuffling she heard upstairs meant that he had heard her.

When her shoes were on, she walked over to the table by the door and grabbed her clutch, opening it to check and makes sure she had everything she needed.

Suddenly, Elijah came bounding down the steps, fully dressed in a black three piece suit and shoes, his hair perfectly combed.

"For the record," he said as he stepped off the stairway, "Whoever came up with the idea of pink neck ties should be put to the firing squad."

"Well…if it's any consolation, they've most likely died from old age by now… _or_ if we're lucky, in a painful accident brought on by a mob of men wearing pink ties..." Elena smirked as she walked forward, tucking her clutch under arm, and straightened his pink tie.

"And yet their terrible legacy lives on…" Elijah quipped with a smile, then leaned forward and laid a quick kiss on her mouth.

When their lips parted, Elena smiled back, then turned around, "Zip me up?"

"Sure," Elijah said then stepped forward and took hold of the fabric and the zipper as Elena tossed her dark hair over her shoulder.

When the zipper finally came up and Elijah hooked the top of the dress, he kissed the back of her neck and Elena giggled a little as she let her hair go and turned around to face him, "Ready, 'Best Man'?"

"Yes…" Elijah said, suddenly remembering the day ahead of them and hurriedly walking over to the table by the door, knowing how late they were running.

"Wallet…keys…watch…" he said methodically as he quickly acquired the items on the table, then picked up the folded piece of paper next to the items and put it in his pocket, "Speech… _"_

 _"_ I cannot wait to hear the thousand years of brotherly love and drama you've packed into _that..."_ Elena quipped under her breath, then called out "Ring!" and tossed a small box from her clutch toward Elijah and he turned and caught it with one hand and put it in the front pocket of his tux jacket.

"Okay…" Elijah said with relief, as he turned back to her, his face suddenly filled with nervous excitement, "I _think_ we are ready…" then whispered to himself as he walked toward Elena, straightening his shirt cuffs, "Wallet…keys…watch…speech…ring…Am I missing something? I feel like I'm missing something..."

"Pants?" Elena suddenly interjected

" _What?!_ " Elijah cried, breaking out of his trance as he stopped immediately and quickly looked down in horror at the thought of walking into his brother's wedding without pants on.

Suddenly Elena's hysterical laughter made him realize she had played a joke on him.

" _Not funny!_ " he chuckled with relief and started pushing her ahead of him out the door.

"Yes, _it was_!" she cried out, trying to stop laughing as she crossed the threshold, "Your face…oh! _Your face!"_

"God…You don't _say that_ to someone, Elena, you could scare a person _to death_ …" Elijah said in amused exasperation as he closed the door behind them.


	2. Chapter 2

_((Here we go. Song is "Steal My Heart Away" by Van Morrison. Enjoy!))_

 _ **One hour later…**_

Elena bit her lip in excitement and set down her clutch on the vanity in the upstairs hallway of the Mikaelson Mansion before knocking on the French double doors to Caroline's room.

"Caroline…it's me!" Elena called, "Sorry I'm late…well, not late by anyone else's standards—but, I know you count arriving less than twenty minutes before an event _'late'_ so—"

"It's alright. I'm ready. Come in…" Caroline's nervous voice interjected from inside and Elena smirked and opened the doors.

When she did, she stopped immediately at the sight of Caroline as she turned around like an angel in the glowing afternoon sun, where she stood upon a pedestal in front of a triple mirror, smiling down at her best friend from childhood as Rebekah finished placing the diamond studded full length veil in her hair.

Elena gasped and brought her hands to a temple in front of her mouth, speechless, as she looked Caroline up and down, admiring the vintage, champagne colored Oleg Cassini off the shoulder, lace, wedding dress she wore.

After a moment, a tear streaked down Elena's face from her left eye and Rebekah, also dressed in a flush pink bridesmaid dress and her hair styled up in a French twist, came to Elena's side, holding out a box of Kleenex.

"Don't worry, Ducks. I had the _exact_ same reaction when she tried it on the first time for me."

# # # # # # # # #

"Niklaus?" Elijah called as he knocked on the bathroom door in Klaus' bedroom suite, but all he heard in response was another heaving noise of a person vomiting.

Elijah looked over his shoulder at Kol, as the youngest brother worked on buttoning up his suit vest, and raised an eyebrow, "How long has he been in there?"

"Since about eleven," Kol replied with a shrug, focusing hard on the small buttons, "I figured all humans were like this before their weddings…you know, 'wedding day jitters' and all that…" then, when he finally put the button at the very bottom through its hole, sighed, " _God_ , its torture enough that we have to wear a pink tie…why are these buttons _so small_?!"

"I've never been married before, I don't know anything about 'wedding day jitters'," Elijah replied, then eyeing Kol up and down, furrowing his brow, pointed toward his brother's vest and said, "You missed the middle one…" then turned back to the door as he heard the sound of the toilet flushing and the sink faucet running.

" _Damn_ …" Kol muttered in the background as he ripped the vest open in frustration, "You know…I think there is still a shoe hook in my room _somewhere_ …it's from the Victorian era, but I think it should do the trick…" then he disappeared from the room.

"Niklaus, it's Elijah," Elijah called out, tapping against the wooden door with his knuckles again, "Are you alright? Open the door…"

A few moments passed, then there was movement and the lock clicked, the door opened, and Klaus appeared in the threshold.

He didn't look pale, but he definitely looked nervous and flushed, already dressed his three piece suit, but with the top of his dress shirt unbuttoned down his chest.

"Here," Elijah said, immediately taking his brother's arm and leading him to his bed, "You should sit down."

When they made it to the edge of the bed, Elijah sat down first then guided Niklaus to his side, but his younger brother just let out a groan as he fell back on the comforter.

"Would you like some water?" Elijah asked

"No, thank you," Klaus replied

"A scotch?" Elijah offered

"No..." Klaus chuckled

"Something to eat?"

"Oh... _Please.._.God... _no_..." Klaus whined, turning slightly pale

"Sorry..." Elijah lamented

Then after a moment's pause...

"You going make it?" Elijah teased with a chuckle, "Or do I need to resurrect your twin again to take your place?"

Klaus laughed, "If _only_ that were possible…" then the laughing turned into a grimaced chuckle, " _Christ,_ I feel like my insides are a free carnival and everyone in the entire universe is taking a ride…"

"I'm told that it's 'wedding day jitters'," Elijah replied casually, trying to help, "It's a human thing, apparently."

"Well…" Klaus sighed, "For the record, this is the _one thing_ about being human that is _complete bullocks!"_

"Oh…" Elijah smirked, "I don't know. Would you rather _not_ feel sick and nervous knowing that you are about to marry a _gorgeous_ woman and spend all the rest of your days with her?"

Klaus closed his eyes and smiled as he turned his head, sensing Elijah's meaning, then opened them again and met his older brother's gaze, "I suppose you're right. It _is_ nice to feel something _every_ human seems to experience, no matter how bad it makes me feel. Though…I don't think I've been physically sick like this in, well, over a thousand years, and I gotta say… _not a fan_."

"It sounds _dreadful_..." Elijah said, playfully

Then the smile on his face faded and he looked down to his right hand that was nervously picking at the expensive comforter on Klaus' bed, "I would give anything to feel what you're feeling right now when I marry the woman I love…You're luckier than you know, Niklaus."

Klaus' face fell and he slowly sat up.

"Elijah…" he said as he placed a hand on his brother's shoulder and Elijah lifted his eyes to meet Klaus', "You have _always_ been the _most human_ of us all, from the _very beginning_ …So, I don't doubt for a _second_ that you _will_ feel it when the time comes _._ "

Elijah let out a relieved breath and nodded as he clasped his own hand over Klaus' on his shoulder.

Then after a moment, Elijah's face changed and he came back to the moment and looked down to his watch, "Alright then, well, we need to get you to the altar before your bride has a coronary…" then he stood and scanned his eyes quickly around the room, "Now, where is your tie?"

Suddenly, he spotted it, lying across the back of a chair near the walkthrough windows to Klaus' bedroom balcony.

"Aha!" Elijah smirked, "We are in business—"

But, he turned just in time to hear the bathroom door close again and with his vampire hearing, listen to Klaus begin heaving once more.

"Oh…well…that's just _lovely_ …" Elijah sighed to himself as he wrapped the tie around his hand and plopped down in the chair.

"Ready!" Kol suddenly said as he swept into the room, fully dressed and spinning around for everyone to take a good look at him before presenting, with the flourish of a magician, three small cut white orchids with a pearl pin through them "And I've brought party favors!"

Suddenly, he stopped and looked around the room, then spotted Elijah sitting cross-legged in the corner chair.

"Where's Nik?" Kol asked

As if on cue, Klaus heaved loudly from behind the bathroom door.

Kol wrinkled his nose then looked over to Elijah as he walked over and handed his brother one of the orchids.

"Well, I think I'll just put his boutonniere on his jacket _for him..._ " Kol offered

"I think that is a _splendid_ idea," Elijah encouraged with a wink then watched Kol walk over to Klaus' jacket hanging on the closet door as the sound of heaving came from the bathroom one more.

# # # # # # # #

"I hear Klaus is sick…" Elena said in a worried voice, crossing the courtyard to meet Elijah, caterers and the band setting up the reception area around them for after the wedding, "Is he alright? Kol came and told us he's been in the bathroom for ages."

"Just 'wedding day jitters', apparently," Elijah smirked as Elena came closer, "He'll be fine. More importantly, how's Caroline taking the news of the delay? Should we prepare for hurricane winds?"

"Well…honestly," Elena shrugged with a confused smile, "She's oddly okay with it. I guess there's something endearing about your future husband getting sick at the prospect of marrying you."

"Yeah…" Elijah smirked again as he looked down and put his hands in his pockets as he said softly, "I guess you can't get any more human than that."

Elena immediately sensed his emotions and stepped forward, bringing a gentle hand to the side of his face.

Elijah lifted his face at her touch and brought his right hand out of his pocket to cover it, giving her a sad, but reassuring smile.

"Are _you_ alright?" she asked, narrowing her eyes

Elijah shook his head and took her hand in his as they dropped from his face, "Don't' worry. I'm fine. It's just an emotional day. One of us is _actually_ getting married. After all we've been through, I never thought it could _really_ happen. But... here we are. And it's _Niklaus_ of all people!"

"Are you sure?" Elena continued, "Kol said you didn't look right when you left Klaus' room—"

"I just couldn't listen to the heaving anymore, truth be told…" Elijah joked with a casual smirk

"Because, it reminded you that your brother is human and you're not?" Elena finished, her voice edged with sympathy

"Don't do that," Elijah replied with a whisper, stepping closer to her, his eyes sad, "Not now. Not today."

"Why not? You don't have to hide your feeling from me, Elijah, not _ever_ —" Elena interjected

"But, I do from my family," Elijah replied, "I should. _Especially, today_. Klaus should have this—"

"But, you still can't help thinking, 'why him'?" Elena said bluntly, "You can't help but wonder why the fates gave the 'bad Mikaelson brother' the chance to be human and not you? I can feel the conflict within you. I feel it through our connection, since it's even more powerful now than the day we first met."

Elijah took in a breath and looked away…

"Elijah—" Elena started, reaching for his face to turn it back to face her, but Elijah turned back himself before she could do it.

"Let's dance…" he smiled broadly at her, his face completely changed and the emotional baggage suddenly packed away, "What do you say?"

Before Elena could say anything, Elijah walked through a row of tables up to the band stage and signaled to the lead singer.

Elena watched as the man dipped his head down to talk to the original, then smiled and nodded.

As Elijah loped back over to Elena and took her hand, she noticed the leader bringing the other band members into a small group circle and letting them in on Elijah's plan.

Then, just as the music began to play, Elijah twirled Elena into his embrace and kissed her on the nose and said, "Hey, Good Lookin'…"

Elena chuckled at his words then her face softened when she realized that the band was playing a Van Morrison song.

It was the same artist they had first danced to that night in her house, when Elijah had put the album on her parent's old record player.

Suddenly, the lead singer came up microphone…

" _ **I can hear the sound of violins,**_ _ **  
**_ _ **I can hear the piper play…."**_

"Van Morrison?" Elena smiled, as Elijah brought her into a close, standard dance frame and began slowly moving around the floor.

"The man is a _legend,_ Elena…" Elijah said defending his choice as Elena shook her head in amusement

"Freak…" she chuckled

" _ **And every time the song begins,**_ _ **  
**_ _ **You just steal my heart away…."**_

Elijah twirled Elena under his arm and spun her out, then brought her back in to him.

 _ **"The journey's longer than I thought, my love,**_ _ **  
**_ _ **There's lots of things that get in the way…."**_

Elena brought her cheek to rest against Elijah's and closed her eyes as they continued to move to the music.

" _ **But, every time I think of you,**_ _ **  
**_ _ **You just steal my heart away…."**_

"Elena…" Elijah suddenly whispered, "You're right. I am jealous of Niklaus being human…and I'm ashamed of it."

 _ **"Just like a morning in May like this,**_ _ **  
**_ _ **See the heather on the hill…."**_

Elena opened her eyes and pulled back slightly to meet his gaze as they moved, "You don't have to be. I love you just the way you are…vampire _or_ human…you've always had a human heart, Elijah. That is _all_ that matters."

" _ **There's a place way up**_ _ **the**_ _ **mountainside,**_ _ **  
**_ _ **Where the world keeps standing still…."**_

"I'm glad you think so….because my hope is that we are together for a very long time." Elijah smiled

 _ **"Just like the sunshine after rain I'll come,**_ _ **  
**_ _ **To be with you will save the day…."**_

"We have an eternity, Elijah…" Elena smirked, cocking an eyebrow at him before bringing her chin to rest on his shoulder and saying softly, "I'm _never_ leaving you. I'm yours _forever_ — 'Always and Forever'".

 _ **"'Cuz I know when I'm with you again,**_ _ **  
**_ _ **You'll just steal my heart away…".**_

Suddenly, Elijah dipped her back and kissed her lips deeply as Elena felt the cool of metal slip onto the ring finger of her left hand.

When he brought her back up, Elena's eyes opened and she saw the sparkling two carat antique setting engagement ring on her left hand resting on Elijah's shoulder.

"I wasn't planning on doing this here... _now_ …..but, after what you just said, I hope you are measuring eternity in human years as well…because that is what I'm still measuring it by…" he whispered in her ear, "Always have…since the first day I first met you, Elena Gilbert. I knew right then and there. Human or vampire, you would be mine as long as I could have you for."

" _ **Just like a morning**_ _ **in**_ _ **May like this**_ _ **  
**_ _ **We see the heather on the hill…."**_

Elena turned and looked into his soft brown eyes as they continued to move, her face a mixture of awe and happiness as he asked, "Will you marry me, Elena?" _**  
**_

" _ **There's a place up on the mountainside**_ _ **  
**_ _ **Where the world is standing still…"**_

"Please say 'yes'" Elijah quipped with a playful smirk, "Because, I'm _pretty sure_ everyone in this house with vampire hearing heard what I just asked you."

" _ **Just like the sunshine after rain I'll come,**_ _ **  
**_ _ **To be with you will save the day …".**_

Elena took in a breath, then suddenly, her gaze was drawn to the figures of Kol, Caroline, and Rebekah all standing on the upper balcony looking down at them.

"' _ **Cuz I know w**_ _ **hen I'm with you again**_ _ **  
**_ _ **You'll just steal my heart away…."**_

Then, she followed Elijah's gaze and saw Misha, Bonnie, Jeremy, Damon and Stefan standing at the entrance to the courtyard.

 _ **"'Cuz I know w**_ _ **hen I'm with you again**_ _ **  
**_ _ **You'll just steal my heart away…."**_

Elena turned back and and met Elijah's eyes.

"Yes," she said with a smile and watched Elijah's face light up.

 _ **"'Cuz I know w**_ _ **hen I'm with you again**_ _ **  
**_ _ **You'll just steal my heart away…"**_

" _Really?_ " Elijah smiled broadly, bringing his forehead to rest against hers and she nodded enthusiastically.

" _ **'Cuz I know w**_ _ **hen I'm with you again**_ _ **  
**_ _ **You'll just steal my heart away…"**_

Suddenly, Elena found herself swept up into Elijah's arms as he kissed her deeply then spun her around the dance floor as applause and whistles from their friends and family broke out.


	3. Chapter 3

"Oh, it's _so beautiful_ …" Caroline smiled as she looked down at the engagement ring on Elena's finger.

"Alright Ladies…" Rebekah announced as she entered the dressing room where she and Elena had retreated to help Caroline finish getting ready, "One wedding at a time!"

Rebekah then winked at Elena as passed her, then beckoned Caroline back up onto her pedestal as she placed a white box on a nearby chair.

Elena and Caroline watched as Rebekah lifted the lid and removed a circlet of white orchids with three white and silver braided strings trailing the back.

"The final touch," Rebekah said thoughtfully as she turned toward Caroline and stepped up onto the pedestal next to her, "You can't get married to my brother without a traditional Norse wedding wreath. I remembered what the women in our village used to wear when I was a girl... I had this made for you. _Thank God,_ those fraternity boys pretending to be weekend florists didn't ruin it."

"Oh, Rebekah... _Thank you_ …" Caroline smiled, biting her lip as she watched Rebekah place it onto her head, being careful of her veil.

# # # # # # # # #

"What the _Hell is this_?" Klaus smiled broadly in complete disbelief, his eyes looking from Elijah to Kol, but he knew exactly what it was.

"It's a sword, Niklaus," Elijah mocked jokingly

"I _know_ it's a sword, Elijah…" Klaus rolled his eyes, then lowered his voice in reverence as he stepped forward and took it from Kol's outstretched hands, "It's—it's _Mikael's_ sword. I thought it would have been lost forever…"

Klaus slowly slid it out of its sheath, admiring it in sunlight. Elijah had smithed it recently by his assessment, no doubt to make the thousand year old sword shine on Niklaus' wedding day.

"I—I _couldn't_ …" Klaus suddenly said, shaking his head in disbelief, breaking his gaze on the sword and looking to Kol and Elijah.

"Yes _you can_ ," Elijah said resolutely, "You _can_ and you _will_. You need a familial sword to carry on your wedding day and we happened to find this lying around—"

"Lying _around_?" Klaus asked with an amused smirk

"Yes." Elijah replied, then said, "Mikael was your father, too. You should wear it today."

A moment of reverent silence passed between the brothers before Klaus gave a small smile and Elijah a nod before Klaus re-sheathed the sword, allowing Kol to step forward and help him fasten the holster on his waist.

"So where did you find it? _Really_..." Klaus asked as he looked down and watched Kol adjust the sword, "I figured you'd have had to pry it out of Mikael's cold dead hands. _"_

There was a long silence.

Klaus turned to his older brother in surprise and saw Elijah's solemn face.

A few more seconds passed, then Elijah smiled broadly and started laughing.

"You're horrible!" Klaus chuckled, _"Horrible!"_

"I learned from the best." Elijah retorted

"Awful…" Klaus smirked

"Awful handsome!" Elijah sang, then turned and walked over to the liquor cart on the other side of the room to pour himself a drink.

" _Oh, please_ …I think I'm going to throw up again," Klaus said jokingly to Kol as he walked over to the full length mirror and adjusted the sword belt.

"You love me..." Elijah chided back at him good-naturedly

"You bug me..." Klaus chuckled again, looking over his shoulder

"Touche" Elijah replied, swinging his first finger in the air like a small sword

After a moment, Klaus continued

"Seriously though," he said, "Inquiring minds want to know...Where _did_ you find it?"

"North of Paris," Kol replied as he stepped back and nodded satisfactorily at the fit of the sword belt on Klaus' waist

"Paris?" Klaus asked, looking at him through the reflection in the mirror

"Paris," Elijah concurred, seating himself with a sigh in the arm chair, balancing a glass of bourbon on his knee.

"What the blazes was it doing _there_?" Klaus asked, genuinely surprised

" _Even better_ …" Kol smiled, unable to contain his glee, "Ask us how we got it!"

"Kol," Elijah smirked in amusement, "Don't…"

Klaus raised an eyebrow as he now turned back to face his brothers, looking first to Kol, then Elijah, "Okay, I'll bite... _How_ did you get it?"

"Misha knows a desert knome in Cairo!" Kol smiled, then laughed "He's _so_ creepy! But, yet _so_ cute—Nik—I _just_ —I can't _even_! With little hands and the squeaky voice! Gaaaah!"

Klaus studied Kol's bent over, laughing figure as Elijah shook his head, trying to keep himself from laughing

"Oh! Oh! _My side!"_ Kol cried as he tried to straighten, nearly in tears as he continued to laugh in small spurts

"Is he for _real_?" Klaus asked Elijah, jerking a thumb toward Kol

"Oh, yes…" Elijah smiled as he brought his glass to his lips to take a drink, "There is a desert knome _and_ he's just as Kol described him. His name is Kirby. He drives a hard bargain too…we _may_ have traded your Jackie Robinson rookie card for it…"

"What?!" Klaus cried, his face falling

"Sorry mate!" Kol said, then continued laughing hysterically as he placed a hand on Klaus' shoulder.

# # # # # # # #

As the fifty invited guests settled into their seats, a solo violinist began to play classical music while Klaus, Elijah and Kol entered the courtyard and crossed the front toward the altar.

The officiant Klaus had hired was an older woman from the French Quarter who specialized in Pagan religious ceremonies. She nodded to Klaus and his brothers as they approached.

When they were in place, Elijah winked at Misha, sitting in the front row with Bonnie, Jeremy, Damon and Stefan, in all his fabulousness—mainly a designer dress and large purple derby hat—and his best friend winked back.

Everyone waited for a few minutes, listening to the music and chattering at low volume until the violin music began to fade out.

Suddenly, there was the sound of an acoustic guitar and the lead singer of the band Elijah has asked to play for him and Elena now stood at the back in an area behind the rows of guests and, after a short interlude, began to sing…

" _ **Written in these walls are the stories that I can't explain,  
I leave my heart open but it stays right here empty for days…**_

 _ **She told me in the morning,**_ _ **She don't feel the same about us in her bones…**_

 _ **It seems to me that when I die,  
These words will be written on my stone…."**_

Suddenly the guests turned in their seats and everyone watched as the french doors on the second floor balcony opened and Rebekah appeared, a small smile crossing her face as she began walking across the upper causeway toward the center staircase.

" _ **And I'll be gone, gone tonight,  
The ground beneath my feet is open wide,  
The way that I been holdin' on too tight  
With nothing in between…." **_

Rebekah began to descend the staircase slowly and when she reached the bottom, Elena appeared in the french doors next and Kol and Klaus heard Elijah's breath catch in his throat.

"I'm the one getting married today…" Klaus said out of the side of his mouth with a humorous smirk and Elijah gave him a playful shove.

" _ **The story of my life, I take her home  
I drive all night to keep her warm and time  
Is frozen….**_

 _ **The story of my life, I give her hope  
I spend her love until she's broke inside  
The story of my life …."**_

Rebekah now made her way up the aisle between the two sections of seating toward the altar.

" _ **Written on these walls are  
The colors that I can't change….  
I leave my heart open,  
But it stays right here in its cage…."**_

When she reached front, Rebekah stopped in front of Klaus and he smiled as he stepped forward and they exchanged a kiss on the cheek.

" _ **I know that in the morning now  
I see us in the light upon a hill….  
Although I am broken, my heart is untamed, still..."**_

Soon, Elena made her way down the aisle toward the altar as well.

" _ **And I'll be gone, gone tonight  
The fire beneath my feet is burning bright  
The way that I've been holdin' on so tight  
With nothing in between…." **_

Elena shared a small smile with Elijah as she reached the altar and took her place next to Rebekah as the music swelled and the guests looked up to the balcony to see Caroline in the doorway now, immediately standing up for her.

" _ **The story of my life, I take her home,  
I drive all night to keep her warm and time,  
Is frozen….."**_

Caroline kept eye contact with Klaus as she walked slowly toward the staircase and descended down to the courtyard.

" _ **The story of my life, I give her hope  
I spend her love until she's broke inside  
The story of my life…."**_

Caroline smiled at the guitarist as she crossed the courtyard and made her way toward the head of the aisle and again locked eyes with Klaus as she stopped and waited.

" _ **And I've been waiting for this time to come around  
But, baby, running after you is like chasing the clouds…." **_

Suddenly, Damon Salvatore appeared at Caroline's side and offered her his arm.

" _ **The story of my life….  
I take her home….  
I drive all night….  
To keep her warm and time  
Is frozen…." **_

Caroline took a deep breath, then smirked as she took it and Damon led her down the aisle toward her new family.

As they did, though, Caroline couldn't help thinking of all the highs, lows, and the moments of confusion, hatred, betrayal and love that led her and Klaus Mikaelson to this moment.

" _ **The story of my life, I give her hope,**_

 _ **I spend her love until she's broken inside,  
The story of my life…." **_

_**The story of my life…."**_

When they finally reached the altar and Caroline was facing Klaus, Damon kissed Caroline's cheek before returning to his seat next to his brother.

 _ **The story of my life….**_

"You look beautiful….as always," Klaus whispered to her

 _ **The story of my life."**_

 _ **# # # # # # # #**_

"Please, be seated and let us begin…"

There was a low shuffle and murmur as the guests all resumed their seats and Kol, Elijah, Rebekah and Elena all took their respective places on either side of Klaus and Caroline.

"Know now, before you go further, that since your lives have crossed in this life, you have already formed ties between each other…"

Klaus smiled at Caroline and raised his eyebrows, sharing meaningful look with her.

"Therefore, we are not just creating new ties today, but building on the ties you have already formed in each other's hearts and minds as you seek to enter this state of matrimony…..Would you both now face each other and join your left and right hands to form the figure eight, a symbol of eternity?..."

Gracefully, Elijah stepped around behind his brother and, in the place of Caroline's father, he took her hands carefully in his and, with a gentle smile, intertwined her hands left over right with Klaus'.

When he stepped back and resumed his place next to Klaus, the officiant continued.

"With full awareness, know that within this circle, and before this altar, you are not only declaring your intent to be hand-fasted before your friends and family, but you speak that intent also to your Gods and your Ancestors that have passed beyond this mortal life…"

She then paused, looking solemnly to Klaus, then to Caroline

"Do you still, therefore, freely seek to enter into this ceremony?"

The bride and groom met each other's gaze and, just as they had rehearsed two days before, answered in unison, "We do."

The officiant looked down to her book, then continued, "It is believed that the human soul shares characteristics with all things divine. It is this belief which assigns virtues to the Gods of our beliefs…"

"So may it ever be…" Elijah, Rebekah, Elena and Kol responded without aide and the guests responded as well with the proper phrase after consulting their programs.

"Blessed be this union with the gifts of the All Father… Communication of the heart, mind and body. Fresh beginnings with the rising of each Sun. The knowledge of the growth found in the sharing of silences…"

"So may it ever be…" Came the response from all

The first cord was wrapped around the couple's hands by the officiant who said solemnly, "And so the binding is made…"

She then continued, "Blessed be this union with the gifts of the Goddess Freja… Warmth of hearth, home and the heat of the heart's passion…"

"So may it ever be…" Came the response from the couple at the altar and all their family friends.

"And so the binding is made…" The officiant added again as she wrapped next cord around Klaus and Caroline's hands.

"Blessed be this union with the gifts of Freyr….. Firm foundation on which to build fertility of the fields to enrich your lives. A stable home to which you may always return…"

"So may it ever be…" came the chorus from everyone

Around came the third cord and the words, "And so the binding is made…"

After a moment of silence, the officiant stated, "This binding will not only hold with the words and promises you make to creators of our world, but with the words and promises you make to each other…"

The officiant turned and took the lit candle from the sacred altar behind her, holding it in her right hand as she balanced the ceremonial book in her left.

She made a pagan sign over the couple with the candle, letting the incense and smoke from the it engulf them.

When they were ready, the officiant continued.

"Niklaus Haakon, son of Mikael, will thou take this woman to be thy wedded wife, to love, to honor, to cherish, and to protect until the end of thy mortal days?"

"I will…" Klaus said with soft conviction in his voice, his eyes smiling at his bride as the officiant held the ceremonial book forward and turned it toward Elijah, who removed the ring from his front jacket pocket and dropped it gently on the pages of the open book.

He then took the next decorative rope and wrapped it around Klaus and Caroline's hands solemnly before stepping back to his place next to his brother.

"And so the binding is made…" The officiant said as she stepped back and again made more signs over the couple with the candle, before looking to Caroline.

"And Caroline Elizabeth, daughter of William, will thou take this man to be thy wedded husband, to love, to honor, to cherish and to protect, until the end of thy _immortal_ days?"

The guests laughed good-naturedly at this and even the officiant smirked at little

"I will…" Caroline replied when the commotion died down, smiling broadly, the happiness and excitement evident in her eyes.

Next, Elena stepped forward and produced Caroline's ring for Klaus, placing it carefully in the ceremonial book that the officiant again offered.

"And so the binding is made" the officiant said and watched as Elena wrapped the designated rope around the couple's hands.

The candle was raised and the smoke made another symbol over Klaus and Caroline before the words, "As this knot is now tied, so are your spirits now bound. Woven into these cords, into their very fibers, are all the hopes of your friends, family and of yourselves, for your new life together, now and forever, in this life and the next."

"So may it ever be…" All agreed

The officiant stepped away now, making room as Elijah, who after a nod to Elena, stepped forward as Elena handed her bouquet back to Rebekah, then met Elijah in front of the altar before parting and taking their respective places on either side of the knot—Elijah standing next to Klaus's left and Elena to Caroline's right.

Then together, Elena and Elijah, united their hands on the sixth tie and wrapped it around Klaus and Caroline's hands, tying it off as the officiant said, "By this cord, you are thus bound to your vows."

Then the officiant nodded to Elijah to proceed and the eldest Michaelson lead Elena in tying off the rest of the knots to form one large one around the newly married couple's entwined hands.

The officiant continued speaking as the hand binding was still being secured by Elijah and Elena "May this knot remain tied for as long as your lives shall last and in the name of the Ancestors, Gods and Goddesses, may this cord draw your hands together in love, never to be torn asunder, and the vows you have spoken never grow bitter in your mouth."

When the knots were completed and Klaus and Caroline were tied securely to one another, the officiant stepped forward again, making symbols again over the joined couple with the candle, then their rings resting on the books as she said, "Two entwined in love, bound by commitment and fear, sadness and joy, by hardship and victory, anger and reconciliation, all of which brings strength to this union….always…and forever…."

Elena and Elijah, then each took a ring from ceremonial book and stepped forward, Elena placing Caroline's ring on Klaus' hand first, before moving back to make room as Elijah placed Klaus' ring on Caroline's left hand.

The rings were inscribed with ancient ruins of love and protection. Caroline had scoffed that it didn't match her engagement ring very well, but when Klaus informed her of the ring's romantic tradition in Norse culture and she realized how much it meant to him, she agree to have it grace her left hand as long as it was made of gold.

Elena smirked at the thought of that conversation with Caroline and, when she looked up, realized that Elijah was on the other side of the altar, his eyes fixed on her lovingly. They were back in their places and she blushed a little and gave him a small smile, remembering the engagement ring on her own left hand, as she received her bouquet back from Rebekah, absentmindedly.

The officiant then closed the book, held out the candle and Klaus and Caroline shared a look before they leaned forward and blew it out.

"Niklaus, you may now kiss your bride," the officiant smiled

Klaus smirked as he stepped forward and captured Caroline's lips in a deep kiss.

Misha then led the applause

# # # # # # # #

 _Elena smiled as Klaus and Caroline turned toward their family and friends for the first time as husband and wife._

 _Elijah and Rebekah stepped forward to help Caroline and Klaus loosen their bonds to one hand each instead of two and Rebekah handed Caroline her bouquet._

 _As the family and friends stood for the couple and the violin music resumed, they walked down the aisle as Elena took Elijah's arm and Rebekah took Kol's, following behind them._

 _Then, suddenly, everything went dark..._

 _The white garden lights strung through the courtyard burned out…_

 _The white orchids on the tables and in Elena's bouquet withered and died..._

 _The seats surrounding Elena were the guests had witnessed the nuptials were empty..._

 _She turned in a circle where she still stood in the aisle, casting her eyes toward the altar, but everyone was gone—Elijah—everyone was just gone._

 _Elena's chocolate eyes widened and she took in a ragged breath as she dropped her bouquet in alarm._

 _# # # # # # # # # #_

"Elena!" Rebekah cried, "Oh….Oh…my god…"

She immediately fell to her knees at Elena's side and the wedding party and guests suddenly looked toward her lifeless body lying in the plush pink dress to the left of the altar.

Caroline and Klaus turned in surprise where they still stood.

Elijah quickly arrived at his sister's side and took Elena's face in his hands as the guests spoke in low, but alarmed voices.

"What _happened?_!" Damon cried as he and Stefan pushed their way toward the front to see

"She just—she just collapsed," Rebekah replied, her eyes confused and terrified.


	4. Chapter 4

"Elena…" Elijah called softly, looking into Elena's face in his hands, brushing her cheeks softly with his thumbs, trying to will her to respond—to open her eyes— _anything,_ "Elena...Can you hear me?"

Rebekah sat Elena's bouquet aside, along with her own, but as she did, she saw something and took hold of Elena's left wrist, turning it toward her so that her hand opened.

Rebekah gasped softly, then looked up toward the throng of people as Misha and Bonnie came forward and Damon gently nudged Stefan out of the way so Bonnie could kneel at Elena's side.

"Bonnie…" Rebekah quickly said, her eyes terrified, _"Look…"_

Bonnie's eyes followed Rebekah's to what looked like a large black ink spot in the center of the palm of Elena's left hand, with tendrils that snaked out from its center toward her wrist and up her arm.

Bonnie swallowed, then looked up to Klaus as he bent over and placed a hand on Elijah's shoulder after Kol helped he and Caroline unwrap themselves from the hand binding, taking in the scene with concern.

Sucking in a breath, Bonnie immediately took charge and said, "Klaus, the situation is serious. I need you to take care of the guests—make an excuse for Elena—tell them everything is okay and that they should go ahead to the reception. Perhaps you and Caroline should go with them…then double back to us and help when the coast is clear?"

Klaus nodded, then opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted when Caroline entered the circle around Elena, the concern and upset obvious on her face as she rubbed her wrists from the binding and said, "Is everything, alright?"

"Unfortunately, it isn't…" Bonnie replied in a low and stern voice, then turned back to Elijah as Klaus turned back and tried to reassure Caroline, "We need to get her upstairs so Misha and I assess her properly."

Elijah nodded and wordlessly collected Elena into his arms as Klaus took Caroline by the hand and walked back up to the center of the altar and their guests, who now stood in front of their chairs and were waiting expectantly, unsure as to the cause of the commotion.

"Ladies and Gentleman," Klaus announced, "Thank you so much for your patience. As you can tell, this is a wonderful and exciting day for us all! In the case of our Elena, the heat didn't mix too well with that excitement…"

Klaus gave a fake, reassuring smile to his guests as he watched Elijah, out of the corner of his eye, carry Elena discretely around the altar toward the open staircase on the other end of the courtyard that led up to the second floor and the family apartments with Stefan, Damon, Misha, Bonnie, Jeremy, Kol and Rebekah close behind.

"I'm sure it's nothing that a little rest, liquids and perhaps a good meal can't cure," Klaus continued, then let his smile broaden,"And let us take that same advice as well…Please, find your seats for the delicious dinner that my beautiful wife has stressed over for the last six months and partake of some of the best wine and spirits the city of New Orleans could sell to me."

The guests laughed good naturedly, then, seemingly placated, they dispersed with low chatter among themselves as they moved in a group amass to the far side of the courtyard beyond the gate and the promise of dinner, dancing, and liquor that waited them.

When the attention had left him, Klaus let the smile leave his face and he took in a breath as he shared a look with Caroline, then offered her his arm and they stepped down from the altar to follow the guests to their wedding reception. As they went, Caroline lifted her eyes toward the second floor balcony where their friends had disappeared through the French doors.

# # # # # # # # # #

Elijah laid Elena gently on the king side bed in Rebekah's suite as the rest of their friends formed a circle around them.

When he was sure she was situated comfortably, Elijah stepped back and watched as Bonnie and Misha came forward.

Bonnie took Elena's left hand in hers and examined the palm more closely…she then held it up for Misha to see.

"I've never seen anything like this-but, it can't be good, _right?_ "

Misha's nostrils flared at the sight of the affliction.

He cautiously hovered his own hand over the palm that Bonnie still held open and closed his eyes, trying to feel the energy coming off of whatever had taken a hold over Elena.

Suddenly, he flinched and drew his hand back as if he had been burned, then opened his eyes and nodded to Bonnie, who lowered Elena's hand.

Misha then took a blanket from the end of the bed and placed it over Elena's body with a defeated sigh.

Bonnie continued to watch Misha, puzzled as he brought the blanket up to Elena's shoulders, then leaned over her and placed an ear to her lips, listening to her breathing.

It was extremely shallow, but it was there.

After a moment, Misha opened his eyes again, then stood up and looked straight at Elijah, but addressed everyone in the room.

"It's a curse."

# # # # # # # #

"A curse..." Bonnie echoed, "I've only ever read about them. They're quite rare- _very_ old school."

"You've gotta be joking, right?!" Damon scoffed as he looked from Misha to Elena, then back to the warlock, "Elena's been cursed…on Klaus' wedding day?"

He then turned to Stefan and Rebekah, "It's like a soap opera. It's official. We _live_ in a soap opera."

"Is that true?" Elijah asked, his eyes narrowing in confusion on Bonnie and Misha, "Could it have happened during the wedding?"

"But, we were _all_ there…" Jeremy interjected before Bonnie or Misha could answer, "We would have all seen something happen, right?" How could she have been cursed without us seeing _anything_?"

"It _had_ to have happened today…" Elijah added, "Elena seemed fine when we left for New Orleans this morning and we've had a protection spell placed on my house ever since we moved in last year—surely, it couldn't have happened before we came here….I would have noticed something, right? Even if something or someone did get through the barrier?"

"Elijah…" Bonnie said softly, "Don't do that to yourself—there wasn't anything more that you could have done. If Misha is right and it _is_ a curse, then it would have been inflicted on Elena _very_ recently."

Misha gently took Elena's hand in his and opened it for everyone to see, "It's a powerful curse, too—inflicted by someone out of malice—it seems to be one that puts the victim in a state of coma and we have no way to know what she's experiencing. It could be nothingness or it could be the worst things imaginable as she's trapped in her own mind."

Elijah closed his eyes and put his face in his hands.

"Way to boost moral, Misha," Damon deadpanned

"I'm just stating the facts. You need to know what we are up against, especially with how fast it's spreading," Misha said, pointing to the lines now going through Elena's wrist and up her arm

"Is there anything you can do to help her?" Stefan asked, his face grave, "Anything to stop it?"

Misha shook his head, "Unfortunately, the only way that a curse this powerful and dark can be stopped is by the person who inflicted it in the first place."

"And how do we get them to do that?" Damon scoffed, "Say, 'Pretty Please?'"

Misha smirked, "No. Their blood has to be paid to lift the curse. That is the only way."

Kol looked over to Damon and drew his forefinger across his neck in a slashing gesture, indicating what they'll need to do.

Damon smiled, "I like this plan."

"How much time do you think we have?" Rebekah asked, now rounding the end of the bed and coming to Elijah's side to comfort him as the older original raised his head from his hands.

Misha lowered Elena's hand and released it, then brought his free hand to her forehead and rested it there for a moment, before he looked over to Rebekah, "I hate to say it, but I don't know."

Elijah let out a defeated breath and looked down to Elena's peaceful body as Rebekah placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Kol," Misha said, turning around, "Does Klaus still have the treasures in the root cellar?"

"The witchy ingredients and do-dads left over from his witch minions like a million years ago?" Kol asked, then smirked, "Yep."

"Excellent," Misha announced, "Youre my errand boy. Bonnie and I will stay with Elena and see what we can do to slow it down and buy you all some time. Elijah…you do what you need to do – stay or leave-it's your choice."

"I want to stay, too," Jeremy piped in

Misha nodded, then turned to the others in the room, "The rest of you, we need to pair off – no one takes on this person alone. We need you to go downstairs to that wedding reception with your eyes open and your mouth shut and be discrete as we hunt for who could have done this."

"You think the person that did this is here— _now_ —still at the wedding?" Stefan asked, shocked

"Yes I do," Misha replied without hesitation, "I have a feeling that since it's such a powerful and malicious curse, that the person that cast it will want to stick around and see the show."

"Who would do this to Elena?" Bonnie whispered, but Misha continued, ignoring her words.

"Despite what you may have read in folklores or seen on television," he said, "Cursing someone like this isn't just a matter of declaring it openly on your deathbed, in the midst of a wrong-doing or even something to be read from a book over a cauldron….the castor of the curse has to be in _very close_ proximity to the victim for a curse like this to work the way it has."

"Well, Elena hasn't been in contact with that many people today..." Rebekah said, thinking aloud, "Mostly us..." she said, gesturing to everyone else in the room, "Other than her participation in the _actual wedding_ when she-"

Suddenly, Misha held up a hand to silence her and his eyes widened as he exhaled, "Oh…Oh...My God!"

Then, without warning, Misha took off running out of the room and across the upper level veranda toward the staircase that led down into the courtyard.

Taking them two at a time, he didn't pause as he heard footsteps –most likely from the other in the group—following.

"Misha!" Damon called in confusion from behind him, "What is it?! _Wait!"_

But Misha didn't stop.

When he reached the courtyard, the warlock looked around quickly, then ran through the gate and into the garden where the wedding reception was in full swing.

Misha quickly scanned the room, but didn't see her.

"Misha….what the hell?!" Stefan cried as he reached the warlock's side, just as Misha shared a quick look with him, then took off back through the courtyard again, this time toward the front gate.

As he rushed through and grasped the rod iron pickets to swing himself onto the sidewalk without falling from his momentum, Misha almost tripped on something crumpled on the ground.

When he stopped and looked down, he saw who he had been looking for...the wedding officiant.

Misha bent down to her side as Stefan, Damon and Kol arrived at the front gate to take in the scene.

"Are you alright?" Misha asked kindly, but closing his eyes in disappointment, knowing that he was too late

"Who-who are you?" the woman asked in confusion, her voice breaking as she tried to focus on Misha's face.

She touched a hand to the back of her head, then winced and said, before Misha could answer her first question, "Where _am_ I?"

Stefan's eyes narrowed as he interjected, "You just officiated our friend's wedding."

"Where?" she asked, looking around, "Where am I?"

"New Orleans," Misha answered

" _What?"_ the woman wondered in astonishment, her eyes widening, "Wha— _what?_ _No_ …" she shook her head vigorously, "I'm from Dallas and I haven't officiated a wedding in …fifteen years."


	5. Chapter 5

Misha ran a hand over his face as he walked out of the front parlor on the first floor of Mikaelson mansion, where the wedding officiant now sat, a blanket around her shoulders and Kol kneeling in front of her as he handed her a scotch and soda.

"How is she?" Stefan asked, folding his arms intently across his chest, Damon coming to his side.

Both brothers had shed their suit jackets in favor of a more casual dress shirts and loosened tie look.

"Well…she complimented me on my shoes _and_ my hat," Misha smirked as he reached a hand up to touch his fascinator with flair.

Damon rolled his eyes and Stefan raised a slightly amused eyebrow at this, but said nothing.

Misha finally dropped his hand and sighed as he shook his head, "I read her. She's clean. Whoever possessed her, did a good job of covering their tracks. Putting aside her _amazing_ taste in drag queen accessories, she's in shock, so we aren't going to learn anything more from her than we already know. I think the best thing we can do for her is to wipe her memories and send her on the next flight home."

Misha glanced over his right shoulder back through the door and to where Kol was talking in quiet, reassuring tones to the woman.

"Done and done…." Damon said matter-of-factly and, when he turned back, Misha saw the older Salvatore brother touch Stefan lightly on the shoulder, signaling him that they were volunteering for old lady duty.

"Thanks gents," Misha replied as Damon and Stefan moved past him and entered the room.

When he saw them, Kol smiled kindly at the woman, rose and walked out to meet Misha, closing the door behind him.

But, before it shut, Misha caught a glimpse of Damon kneeling in front of the older woman, "Mary, my name is Damon. This is my brother, Stefan. We will be escorting you home tonight. You've had a long….well – _everything._ You will remember nothing….."

# # # # # # # #

"Anything?" Elijah asked, looking up from where he sat at Elena's bedside, clasping her hand in his like she was sleeping beauty and he was the waiting prince.

"I read her. Nothing." Misha replied, his eyes drifting to Elena, "I'm sorry, Elijah. I thought maybe we were on to something…" He then looked around the room, "Where are Rebekah, Bonnie and Jeremy?"

"I sent them downstairs a little while back," Elijah said closing his tired eyes, "They were hovering too much. Plus, we needed eyes at the reception."

"Good thinking big bro," Misha said as he rounded the bed and placed a hand on the Elijah's shoulder.

Elijah opened his eyes and took in a breath, "So… what next?"

"Well, Stefan and Damon volunteered for Senior Escort Service and Kol walked them down to the garage to get them a car to take to the airport. When he comes back up, I'm going to have him take me down to the cellar and we'll see what we can do spell-wise to help Elena and maybe slow down what's happening to her. I'll probably need to grab Bonnie, too."

Elijah nodded and closed his eyes as he leaned forward and kissed the back of Elena's right hand intertwined in his.

Misha watched his friend and, when he had pulled his lips back from Elena's skin, he asked Elijah, "Drink?"

"God _, yes…."_ Elijah sighed as he gently lay Elena's hand down on the bed and leaned back in the chair loosening his necktie.

Misha smirked as he turned on his heel and walked over to the bar in the corner of the room, his high heels clicking rhythmically on the floor.

"Can I just say that I _love_ that ya'll have a bar in literally _every_ room of this place?!" he said as reached behind the bar for a bottle of bourbon and two tumblers.

Elijah chuckled softly as he stood and removed his jacket then tossed it onto a nearby sofa as he walked toward the bar.

"Do you think our family _might_ have a slight problem with alcohol?" Elijah joked

Misha gave a half smile as he turned and handed Elijah his glass, "Baby, it's only a problem when it's _not_ in your hand."

Elijah silently chuckled as Misha clinked glasses with him

"I'll drink to that." Elijah replied, then took a drink has he turned toward the window, moving the curtain aside so that he could take in the view of the party going on down in the courtyard below.

# # # # # # # # #

" _ **Wish, I was back on the bayou,  
Rollin' with some Cajun Queen…."**_

The crowd cheered, whistled and clapped as the band played and Klaus twirled his sister out, then caught her by the hand as they cha-cha'd on the makeshift dancefloor.

" _ **Wishin' I were a fast freight train,  
Just a chooglin' on down to New Orleans…" **_

As he did the back slide with Rebekah, then brought her back into his embrace and danced in a fast circle with her, Klaus smiled over his sister's shoulder toward Caroline, where she stood with Jeremy, Bonnie and the rest of the guests, watching the Mikaelson siblings and cheering on their superb dance moves.

" _ **Born on the bayou..."**_

Rebekah laughed as Klaus twirled her out and away from him once more with flair, then shimmied down to the ground before throwing himself onto the dance floor and sliding through her legs on his stomach as Rebekah flipped up her dress and the crowd went wild.

" _ **Born on the bayou…"**_

Klaus chuckled as he stood, but before he could turn back to his sister, he saw a familiar face among the crowd and it stopped him cold in his tracks.

" _ **Born on the bayou…."**_

There she was, right out of the nightmares of his past, with her piercing grey eyes and flaming red hair that made her unmistakable.

She hadn't aged a day and her pink glossed lips parted in a smile when their eyes locked.

It was clear that she liked shocking him like this after all these years—centuries more like it.

But _how_ was she here right now _?_

# # # # # # # # # #

 ** _St. Louis Cemetery, New Orleans 1802_**

 _The enclosed carriage came to a halt just outside the rod iron gates to the cemetery and, as it did so, its side door burst open and out flew a short, elderly mulatto man who landed hard on the stone street below._

 _The man cursed in Creole as he struggled to his knees with a whimper that was immediately silenced when Kol Michaelson came up behind him and, with one swift movement, snapped the warlock's neck, letting him fall back to the ground in a prostrating position._

 _It provided the perfect step stool for his brother, Klaus, who now stepped down from the carriage onto the two steel steps at the bottom of the cab, then walked across the dead man's back and onto the dirt path that led into the cemetery in a determined stride, his eyes dilated and veined and his face set in a murderous expression._

 _Three vampire guards followed him, leaping down from their respective places on the inside and outside of the carriage, falling into line quickly behind him and lighting the way through the darkness with oil lamps and torches._

" _Nik, wait…" Kol said suddenly, using vampire speed to block his brother's path to the cemetery gates, "You can't go in. They've no doubt put a boundary spell on the cemetery."_

 _Klaus narrowed his eyes then looked around his brother toward the closed gates._

 _He was probably right. The witches and warlocks bound to him were talented and clever, that is why he had chosen them._

 _They no doubt would know that he would eventually find them._

 _Klaus' eyes turned to normal as he took a step back and brought his gaze back to Kol, "Very well. You spend so much time with these witches, little brother, what do you suggest?"_

 _Kol quirked an eyebrow, then turned on his heel and marched right up to the cemetery gates and reached out to open them._

 _Immediately, the gate clanged and an invisible force tossed Kol back._

 _He flew over Klaus and the guards and landed in a crouched position like a cat on top of the carriage._

 _Klaus scoffed as he turned and eyed his brother incredulously then clapped his hands with polite indignation._

" _Well, that was a_ _huge help_ _, Kol…Well done."_

 _Kol smirked, and Klaus immediately saw a familiar gleam in his brother's eye._

 _But, before he could say anything, Kol leaped down off of the carriage and, with vampire speed, ran past Klaus and rammed the gate, pulling apart one of the iron spikes as he flew back again from the force of the spell._

 _When he landed at Klaus' side, toppling one of the guards, the older original immediately turned toward Kol and watched as the young vampire quickly brought himself to his feet and with one swift movement, impaled himself with the rod iron spear from the gate._

" _Kol!" Klaus cried as immediately rushed to his brother's side, catching him in his arms before he fell back to the ground, the guards quickly surrounding them, "For Christ sake! I know you have a death wish but Elijah needs our help, not another one of your crazy stunts—"_

" _I_ _am_ _…helping him…." Kol gasped, still doubled over with one hand holding firm to the rod iron protruding from his chest, while the other wiped the blood that now flowed from his mouth, "The spell…You can cross the gates now—"_

" _What?" Klaus asked, agast as he looked his injured brother over in confusion, then reached for the iron spike to pull it from Kol's chest, "No. You're injured, you fool. I can't leave you…."_

 _But, the young vampire grabbed hold of Klaus' hand, quickly stilling his brother's movements._

" _No!" he choked, forcefully, trying to wriggle from his brother's arms, "It has to_ _stay in_ _. I'll be fine and right here waiting for your return. Then, when this night is nothing but a bad memory, this bloody thing will come out, I'll heal and we can finally celebrate our brother's return in style."_

" _I don't understand…" Klaus whispered, narrowing his eyes in confusion as Kol gave a knowing smirk_

" _The spell is a 'Blood Ward'—I've seen it before—blood is the price," Kol continued, his smirk fading into a grimace of pain as he looked down to the rod in his chest, then up to his brother above him, "But, not just_ _any_ _blood that can be paid. It has to be the blood of the adversary. They mean it to weaken their opponent…meaning_ _you_ _."_

" _Only it wasn't me they weakened…" Klaus replied angrily_

"For better or worse, we _share the same blood, Nik," Kol replied, "It will work. They'll think you are weakened and the spell will dissipate, the gates will open, and you'll go in there and get our big brother back…"_

" _And kill anyone who stands in my way," Klaus finished, his tone lowering as his eyes veined out again and his fangs bared_

 _Kol gave a devilish grin as he brought his hand to his brother's shoulder, "That's the spirit."_

 _Klaus gently released his hold on his brother and Kol fell unceremoniously to his knees as the older original came to his feet and turned determinedly toward the gate._

" _Wait…Nik…_ _wait_ _…" Kol said suddenly, causing Klaus to turn back, "You can't go in there looking like_ _that_ **.** _You're supposed to look the part."_

 _Klaus narrowed his eyes in confusion and looked over to the guards, then back down to Kol when he saw his brother immediately reach forward and with one hand, pull apart the waist of Klaus' dark blue dyed wool top coat to reveal the white dress shirt underneath._

 _Then without hesitation, Kol brought his hand to his still bleeding wound, before reaching forward with the same hand and smearing thick amounts of blood over Klaus' midsection._

" _For dramatic effect…" Kol said, then pulled his blood stained hand back to admire his work._

 _# # # # # # #_

 _When they entered the cemetery, Klaus immediately signaled for his men to spread out, weaving among the tombs and crypts, searching for any sign of the witches._

 _Klaus himself had just rounded one of the mausoleums when he heard agonizing cries behind him._

 _Turning back quickly, he observed his guards falling to the ground one by one, clutching their heads in pain as if hearing a deafening sound nearby that Klaus himself could not hear._

" _You're here…" a familiar male voice sounded from nearby, causing Klaus to turn swiftly back on his heal again to come face to face with a black man in a tailored suit of blue velvet, standing stoically with his hands behind his back, "Excellent."_

" _Dorian," Klaus acknowledged, taking in the sight of one of his four bound warlocks—bound, that is, until they turned against him along with the others in his service._

" _I see you received our message," Dorian said, rolling back on the balls of his feet, eyeing the blood on Klaus' shirt_

" _I did," Klaus replied with a smirk, "I think it read 'Dear Klaus, We have kidnapped your brother and are holding him in St. Louis Cemetery in exchange for our freedom. Please come….Not to do so would be unwise, Lots of love…. your traitorous witches and warlocks'. Though, I'm afraid the messenger you sent to deliver it is rather_ _dead_ _…"_

 _Then he paused for dramatic effect as he took in the anguish on Dorian's face, knowing that the man sent to deliver the message to Klaus, was Dorian's brother, Enoch._

 _Then the vampire took a step forward with a raised eyebrow and tisked, "_ _So sorry_ _about that, Dorian…you know, my brother, Kol has a nasty temper and he's very fond of Elijah—something about how Elijah never tried to kill him or some such nonsense—and I'm afraid in his anger he killed your brother after he led us here. It's a pity for you and your friends that you didn't take_ _him_ _instead of Elijah—"_

" _Klaus, if we took Kol, you know he would have been no match for us. And let us face the truth, you would have gladly let us kill him without a second th ought…" Dorian interjected instantly, his nostrils flaring in anger and gauged Klaus' reaction and when the original flinched slightly, he knew he had hit him where it hurt, "Elijah, on the other hand, we see as the perfect leverage. Now, come…the others await us," he then turned to the right and left and signaled with his hands, bringing forth hooded figures that now closed in on them from all sides, their hands still raised and Klaus knew immediately that they were the ones who had cast the torture spell on his guards, "My brethren will see to your companions."_

 _Klaus gave a quick look over his shoulder to the men still writhing on the ground, now being encircled by at least five warlocks, before turning forward without hesitation or remorse, and after watching Dorian pivot swiftly on his heel, followed the warlock into the darkness of the cemetery._

 _# # # # # # #_

 _They seemed to walk forever along the winding maze of dirt paths before they came to a mausoleum on the far side of the cemetery._

 _Without a word, Dorian approached the closed door and touched the door with his fingertips._

 _The iron door tremored for a moment then opened of its own accord and Dorian stood aside, gesturing for Klaus to enter first._

 _The vampire narrowed his eyes at the warlock before taking a step forward into the mausoleum, looking around to the dark surroundings engulfed in the warm glow of torch light._

 _The door closed behind him and he watched over his shoulder as Dorian came around behind him and led the way again, down a flight of stone steps that seemed to lead into the ground._

 _When they reached the bottom, Klaus' jaw clenched in anger as he took in the sight now before him—six witches of various ages and creeds and who he once held in his service— stood in a flanking circle around his brother, who hung from chains above the menagerie of stone crypts._

 _Slits on his wrists and chest indicated that they had bled him out and the blood dripping from his mouth, told Klaus that they had poisoned him with vervain to weaken him._

" _Eljiah…" Klaus whispered, his eyes softening for a moment before he rushed forward with a burst of vampire speed, only to be stopped dead in his tracks by an invisible force field._

 _He hit it with a hard thud, before falling back with a growl, lifting his head to come face to face with witch who cast it as she stepped down from the circle to face him._

" _Vivienne," he snarled, swiftly rising to his feet, but two witches came immediately to her side, thrusting out their hands to wield their magic against him._

 _One, a petite blonde with bronze skin—Arabella—used an invisible force to throw him off of his feet again and before he could leap back to his feet once more, the second, a raven haired beauty with dark green eyes –Marianna—wielded mind distortion on him, giving him a splitting headache and causing his eyes to roll back into his head and his nose to bleed as he struggled in pain._

 _After a few moments, the hold the second witch had on him released and he collapsed exhausted onto the stone floor._

" _Well," Vivienne said, "If you are quite finished, we have business to conduct—"_

" _I don't do business with thieves and traitors!" Klaus snapped as he brought one hand up to his face and wiped the blood from under his nose._

 _One of the witches, a tall red head with cream colored skin, narrowed her grey eyes and stepped forward from the circle, hastily throwing her hand up to cast curse upon him as she moved past her sisters to the forefront, but Vivienne immediately threw out her arm, holding the witch back._

" _Lilith, no…" she said sternly, but keeping her gaze firmly on Klaus, "Leave him. We can't have our freedom if he's dead."_

" _You want me_ _dead_ _?" Klaus quipped with a scoff as he sat back and folded his leg under him with a wince of pain, eyeing the witches indignantly, "Get in line, Love…._ _But,_ _I'll share a secret with you," then lowered his voice to a whisper, "You and your little coven here are about seven hundred years_ _too late_ _."_

 _Lilith huffed at his comment and lowered her hands, then obeyed Vivienne and took a step back as Vivienne moved forward and bent down to one knee in front of her vampire master._

" _You_ _will_ _do business with me, Klaus Mikaelson."_

" _Oh, and why is that, Love?" Klaus smirked cheekily_

" _Because I have in my possession the one person who you have ever truly loved in your many centuries on this earth…." Vivienne replied with a small smile, "The only person who you have ever truly_ _needed_ **—** _"_

" _You're wrong," Klaus snarled, but the emotion in his face betrayed him_

" _Am I?" Vivienne questioned, cocking her head and narrowing her eyes, "Well…then you didn't mean what you said that night three years ago when you brought me to the mansion in Privas and begged me to help him—to stop his suffering after you were attacked by the coven of werewolves? And the memories that I used from your mind that very night to do so—of you and Elijah as children, together and happy—to make a connection and let you reach him…ease his pain and keep him calm while I healed him….those were all a lie as well and this has all been a waste of time? He's not the sibling you care most about in this world—the one you need by your side to make this eternity of misery bearable? And he's_ _not_ _the perfect bargaining chip we were hoping for? The one you would risk your entire empire to get back?"_

 _Klaus closed his eyes and turned his head away._

 _Vivienne narrowed her eyes as she tried to meet Klaus' gaze_

" _Tell me…" she encouraged and watched as anger and anguish spread across the original's face_

 _They were like that for a few moments before she sighed and stood, straightening to her full height._

" _Very well…then, he is of no use to us," she said then looked over her shoulder toward her sisters and nodding toward Elijah as she spoke in a commanding tone, "Kill him."_

" _No…" Klaus cried, suddenly turning back to face her as his eyes snapped open, his gaze suddenly falling upon a white oak stake now flashing in one of the witch's hands, "No!_ _Wait!"_

 _Vivienne smirked as raised her hand to stop Lilith as the witch poised the white oak stake over Elijah's chest._

 _She turned back from where Elijah was still helplessly hanging and unconscious to face Klaus, still kneeling on the floor._

 _The original gave a relenting sigh as he silently cursed under his breath._

" _Don't …" Klaus finally said softly, closing his eyes, "Don't... kill him."_

 _Vivienne straightened, her eyes connecting with her fellow witches over her shoulder and she nodded to them and they all took a measured step away from Elijah._

 _Klaus' nostrils flared as he lifted his gaze to Vivienne and watched the witch close the distance between them._

" _You know what we want," Vivienne stated simply, looking down at him, "We've made our position clear…"_

" _Yes," Klaus said, haughtily, "_ _Quite."_

 _Then, with vampire speed, he quickly brought himself to his feet and Vivienne and the other witches watched in shock and mild horror as he moved to where Dorian was standing nearby and, without ceremony, snapped the warlock's neck and he fell lifeless to the floor of the crypt._

" _Ahh…" he smirked as he rolled his head on his shoulders and stepped forward over Dorian's body, "I needed that. Nothing like a good kill before the conduction of business."_

 _Vivienne narrowed her eyes in anger as she studied Klaus up and down._

" _Now, you'll understand if l want certain_ _assurances_ _before we proceed," he stated, folding his hands in front of him, his eyes darkening as they darted around the room from Vivienne to the other witches standing in a circle around his older brother._

" _So will we…" Vivienne countered_

 _Klaus narrowed his eyes, "First, I want your assurance that my brother is alive, not permanently harmed, and I want you to let him down from there…._ _Immediately._ _ **"**_

 _There was a moment's pause before Vivienne responded._

" _Very well," she said, nodding slowly before looking back over her shoulder toward the other witches, "Cut him down. Take care of him."_

 _Klaus watched as the witches silently stepped forward and two of them supported the oldest original's weight as the other three cut the bonds around Elijah's wrists and they lowered him gently onto one of the cement vaults below._

 _Elijah gave a groan of protest as the menagerie of witches laid him out on his back and began binding his wounds._

 _Vivienne raised an eyebrow as she turned back toward Klaus._

" _Secondly," Klaus continued, without missing a beat, "I want an assurance from you that, once unbound, you and your little friends will leave peacefully without any retaliatory action for past sins."_

" _Agreed," Vivienne replied after a slight moment of hesitation, but Lilith stepped forward again, seemingly in ready for a rebuttal as she stared down at Dorien's lifeless and twisted body on the floor at their feet and her hand tightened around the white oak stake still in her grasp._

 _Vivienne immediately silenced her with a stern look over her shoulder, "_ _Agreed_ _ **…**_ _" she stressed, for the other witch's benefit, warning her against any action of revenge and quickly plucked the stake from Lilith's hand._

 _After a moment, when she was convinced that they were all going to cooperate and there were going to be no further challenges from their sisters, Vivienne turned back to Klaus._

 _There was a moment of silence before Klaus straightened, eying the stake in her hand, "And_ _your_ _required assurances?"_

" _I just have one," Vivienne responded coldly_

" _And?" Klaus prompted impatiently_

 _Vivienne took in a deep breath as she stepped forward and offered the white oak stake to Klaus._

" _When I leave here tonight with my sisters and brothers, we will do so without threat of retaliation or death at the hands of you or those who do your bidding—now or ever."_

 _Klaus' face flashed with frustration, but he nodded in agreement as he took the stake from Vivienne and twirled it into his grasp before swiftly putting it inside his jacket._

" _Very well," he said, "You have my word that no harm shall come to you or those whom you surround yourself once you are unbound from my service. You have safe passage through the city and shall fear no retribution for your actions tonight now or ever."_

" _And how do we know we can trust your word when we've all witnessed you break it before?" Lilith asked, her tone bitter_

" _Because, Love," Klaus replied, looking directly at Lilith with a stern gaze, then let his eyes fall on Elijah, "You still have in your possession the one person that assures that you_ _truly_ _have it."_

 _Klaus' gaze then fell on Vivienne and their eyes locked as he brought his hands slowly up to his chest, unbuttoning the top of his dress shirt collar before reaching into it._

 _Within moments, he drew out the wooden runic necklace Elijah made for him centuries before._

 _Vivienne and the witches all suddenly watched him with intense eyes as he wrapped his fingers around the necklace and closed his eyes in reverence for a few seconds._

 _Then he released the necklace and reached back down into his shirt and pulled out another, longer necklace of brown leather with a gold engraved pendant, and the tension in the room was immediately palpable._

 _Klaus soon brought his opposite hand to his mouth and, after willing his vampire features forward, bit the palm of his hand and brought it to the pendant, wrapping the blood soaked hand around it tightly._

 _After a moment of hesitation, he closed his eyes and the witches watched as his vampire features slowly melted away and he spoke in a low tone, "In sanguine meo,et dimittam vincto smihilineae connectere retexere."_

 _When the spell was complete, Klaus opened his eyes and pulled on the necklace, breaking it from his neck and watched as the gold coin and the leather binding instantly withered to dust in his hand._

 _Soon, a supernatural wind blew the dust out of his palm and into the air, circling out toward the witches, above their heads and finally falling down on them at the precise moment the leather bound bracelets on their wrists, each with the exact same pendent as Klaus' necklace, broke free of their own accord and fell with a loud clatter in unison onto the concrete floor of the crypt._

 _The witches' faces immediately broke out into relieved smiles and small gasps of awe escaped their lips as they eyed their now bare wrists and took in their new found freedom._

 _Vivienne brought her hand to left wrist, rubbing the bare flesh there as her eyes locked with Klaus' and the vampire gave a small jerk of his head signaling their departure._

" _Leave," he said in a low voice directed specifically at her and growled, "Before I change my mind and kill you all."_

 _Somehow, the way he said it—she didn't really believe him._

 _But, she could tell he was bitter and angry and it was better to be safe than sorry._

 _She didn't waste any time turning back to her fellow witches who were now celebrating and hugging each other and ushering them toward the doorway to join their newly freed warlock brothers outside._

 _As she followed the other women to the crypt entrance, Lilith stopped and looked back down to Dorien's body._

 _"Leave him for now," Klaus said, eying her out of the corner of his eye, "You and your brethren may come for his body later and bury him with all the rights of your ancestors without any interference...But, right now, I just want to be with my brother and take him home."_

 _Vivienne gave an understanding nod before taking Lilith by arm, turning on her heel and ascending the stairs to leave the crypt._

 _When the room had finally cleared, Klaus turned his eyes toward his brother and with vampire speed, closed the distance between them as he moved to his side where he lay on the vault._

" _Brother…" he whispered as he reached down and lifted his brother's arm, "Elijah…It's me."_

" _Niklaus?" Elijah whimpered, gazing at his brother through half-lidded eyes_

 _Klaus smiled as he placed a hand on his brother's shoulder and whispered again, "I'm here. We're going home."_

# # # # # # # # # # #

 _ **New Orleans, Present Day….**_

"Lilith," Klaus whispered, his eyes meeting the witch's across the dance floor

Then, Klaus felt a presence at his side and saw Bonnie out of the corner of his eye—she had sensed the other witch's presence, too—the dance was over and the music now faded into the background as everyone turned to look at what was transpiring between Klaus and the two witches.

Suddenly, there was a scream that broke the moment and the crowd burst into a fury of commotion.

Klaus turned when he heard Rebekah calling his name over her shoulder as she raced across the dance floor to where Jeremy now held an unconscious Caroline in his arms, blood trickling from her mouth.

"No…" Klaus whispered with wide eyes, taking in the sight, then whipped his head around to face Lilith….

But she was gone.


	6. Chapter 6

"Niklaus!" Elijah called in alarm as he bounded down the main stairs, Misha close behind him, and toward his brother as Klaus moved through the first floor outer courtyard of the house, carrying a lifeless Caroline in his arms. Elijah had seen Caroline's collapse on the edge of the dance floor through the upstairs window and now he watched as Bonnie swiftly moved in front of Klaus and opened the first floor parlor doors and they all filed quickly in, circling around the sofa where Klaus now laid Caroline gently down.

"I—I should go back out there and tell everyone she's alright…Kol and Rebekah are still there—but—but—I should…" Klaus said breathlessly, his face pale and something in his eyes that Elijah couldn't read as he backed away from the sofa.

Something was wrong.

Misha ignored them as he moved to Bonnie's side to assess Caroline's condition and examine her face where the blood was trickling from her nose and mouth.

Elijah knew he was looking for signs of the same dark magic that had taken Elena.

"Niklaus…" Elijah whispered, stepping toward his brother, his dark eyes imploring over Klaus' features as he slowly backed away from the sofa, his eyes only on Caroline's lifeless form, "Please tell us what happened. Obviously, _something_ happened that we know nothing about. I can see it on your face."

But, Klaus didn't answer as he tore his eyes reluctantly from the sofa, then turned and started toward the parlor doors.

He didn't make it but a foot before the parlor doors practically slammed closed in front of him of their own volition, preventing his exit.

"Klaus…" Bonnie said sternly, now rising to her feet, " _Tell them_."

Klaus visibly swallowed, knowing it was Bonnie who had blocked his passage, and turned to face her with realization spreading across his still pale face.

"You _saw_ her, too?" Klaus asked

Bonnie nodded

"Then she isn't dead."

"Her? Her who—" Misha said, now rising to his feet next to Bonnie, interjecting with the words that Elijah himself was now thinking, " _Who_ did you see?"

There was a long silence.

"Klaus," Misha continued in a measured tone, then glanced down toward Caroline, "She's cursed, just like Elena. She has a black spot as well…and it's _spreading…_ If you know something about what we are fighting or who, I need to know _now,_ boy. _"_

Klaus closed his eyes and Elijah quickly moved to his brother's side, placing a reassuring hand on his Klaus' shoulder.

Misha's eyes lifted again then moved between Bonnie and Klaus, "These Jimmy Chus are comfy, but not so comfy I wanna die waiting for an answer. _So?_ One of you… _spill!"_

When Klaus didn't speak, Bonnie did.

"We had a visitor tonight," Bonnie offered, "Just around the time that Caroline collapsed on the dance floor. She appeared out of nowhere. Klaus seemed to know her and seemed surprised as Hell to see her here. I'm pretty sure she's a witch, which _does not_ surprise me since this family has practically made an enemy out of most of the witches in New Orleans. She saw me and I saw her. I don't know if the others saw her but—"

"It was Lilith," Klaus suddenly interjected, his voice shaking a little and his face turning a shade of green that made him look as though he might be sick as his eyes swept from Elijah, who immediately dropped his arm from his brother's shoulder in shock, and then to Misha, who let opened his mouth and whispered 'Shit' under his breath.

# # # # # # # #

"Lilith?" Bonnie asked, looking around the room to the three men

"An enemy witch from New Orleans," Misha responded bluntly over his shoulder to Bonnie

Bonnie rolled her eyes, then threw her hands up in the air dramatically and said, "Oh, of course!" as she plopped down on a nearby chair.

"That's a name I haven't heard in a very long time…" Elijah mused

Misha blinked, ignoring Bonnie's response and looking to Klaus, "I thought you had an accord with Vivienne and the New Orleans covens after what happened in 1802? Well—except for that witch doctor thing in the 1920s—" Misha added, then waved it off, "But, that's a separate incident not important right now—"

"That's true. Niklaus freed them after they staged a revolt here in New Orleans in which they kidnapped me in exchange for their freedom," Elijah looked to his brother, then to Misha, then gestured to his arm, "He complied and removed the—the bracelets that chained their souls to his in order to get me back. It took place right her in town at St. Louis Cemetery—"

"So the pact was made on hollowed ground?" Misha asked

Klaus nodded

"Was Lilith there?" Misha asked

"Yes," Klaus answered, "She wasn't exactly turning cartwheels about it—I do remember _that_ —but she was there with Vivienne."

"Written or verbal pact?"

"Verbal," Klaus replied "It was with Vivienne but they all agreed no matter how reluctant. I remember that we exchanged some comments about not seeking retribution for past sins and then I spoke the spell that freed them from their hooky dook bracelets—"

"Wait, you said there were bracelets—how did that come about?" Misha asked, then suddenly closed his eyes and whispered, just loud enough for Klaus, Elijah and Bonnie to all hear, "Oh..."

There was a silence and then Misha shook his head and then turned to Klaus and Elijah

"It was Gloria, wasn't it? She imprisoned those witches for you—binding them to you with the bracelet?" Misha added, "She's the only one I could think of who would be old enough and strong enough to be deep enough in your thrall back then to turn against her own kind and do it."

"Wait—what does that mean, exactly?" Bonnie asked curiously narrowing her eyes

"Oh, it's old magic, baby," Misha replied with a sigh, "By which a bad guy—in this case, Nik—"

"Hey!" Klaus cried out, mildly offended, but Elijah again put a kind hand on his brother's shoulder

Misha smirked and continued, "Nik would bind his servants – in this case, the numerous witches and warlocks he brought under his 'protection'—to his person. This would ensure that the witches would not turn against him and do him harm, because if harm was done to him, they would all perish. Capish?"

"Wow...that's pretty _barbaric._..." Bonnie mused looking to Klaus

"Uh...Hello, I used to be _evil!_ " Klaus shot back, "And in my defense, I didn't do that in the 20th Century. I had other ways of persuasion that worked just as well, Love. Actually...it probably worked _even better._ "

He cocked a small smile and Bonnie folded her arms across her chest and said matter of factly, "Ew…"

"Who did Gloria use for the binding spell on the bracelets? She would have had to use the power of one of the witches from the coven to bind them together—which one?" Misha continued, ignoring their exchange

Klaus closed eyes and thought for a moment, then opened them and said, "Uh...Vivienne. It was Vivienne. She proved herself to be their leader from the very beginning."

Bonnie stood up and moved quickly to Misha's side, "So Vivienne was the anchor _and_ Vivienne made the verbal pact with Klaus..."

Misha sighed and looked at Elijah with sorrowful eyes, " _And_ Vivienne is dead."

" _And_ that's not good," Bonnie added with wide eyes

Elijah straightened and exhaled, "So the pact with the New Orleans covens is no more?"

Misha nodded, "When Vivienne died, it seems a notice went out to all those whose revenge on Klaus wasn't just cold, but _frozen solid._ "

Bonnie's mouth dropped open and then she blinked, "Well...what are we going to do? I'm guessing that being on the naughty list of every witch in New Orleans is _not_ a good thing."

"The way I see it," Misha said, "We've got two problems— _first,_ Lilith and what she wants with Elena and Caroline and how that fits with any kind of revenge she might be seeking on Klaus—second, the fact that there might be several covens of witches out for Mikaelson blood. So, here is what we are gonna do... " He took a deep breath and sighed, "We deal with our present problem first and get Elena and Caroline back. Then, after this is all over, Bonnie and I can stick around and do damage control with the witches as much as we can."

Klaus and Elijah nodded in agreement

"But, for now, we focus on Lilith and I'm guessing that if she also thought that Klaus might also have something to do with Vivienne's death, then we might be in deeper trouble than we thought—" Misha started, but Bonnie's voice interrupted him

"Uh….Misha?" she said from behind them and they all three turned to where she was kneeling next to where Caroline lay on the couch and examining where the black spot inside the palm of Caroline's upturned hand, now branched out and trickled down the underside of her arm to form a set of numbers – **_465._**

"What the sweet little 8 pound 7 ounc baby Jesus..." Misha whispered, clearly taken aback by the appearance of the number as Elijah immediately raced up stairs with vampire speed to Elena's bedside.

Within a few minutes, Misha, Bonnie and Klaus were not far behind.

Elijah kneeled on the edge of the bed, reached out and gently turned over Elena's forearm to see a set of numbers written in the black scrawl on her olive skin - ** _466._**

"What is t _his_?" Elijah asked, looking up to Misha with a startled gaze

Misha shook his head then said, "I can't be sure. I've only seen this once, hundreds of years ago and I didn't think covens did it anymore, but New Orleans is an _old_ city—"

"Do _what_?" Klaus demanded, impatiently

There was a long silence before a voice came from the doorway—it was Kol

"A lottery…" he mused with wide open eyes, "And it seems Caroline and Elena are scratch off tickets."

# # # # # # # # #

"What are you doing up here?" Klaus asked, agitated, "Our wedding guests—"

"Suspect _nothing_ ," Kol responded, "After the bride took a nose dive, we decided the party was over. Jeremy is helping Rebekah make the rounds and compel the guests that it's time to head home. I also made sure Damon and Stefan made it off safely to the airport with the old broad who officiated the wedding, but _didn't really_ officiate the weeding, so I'd say my work here is done for now."

"Kol…" Elijah started, but Kol raised a hand to stop him then waved him off, "No worries, Elijah. Nothing damaging with the compelling of the guests, it's all 'my girlfriend has to get up early tomorrow' and 'I have get home to let the babysitter go'…human stuff like that."

Elijah sighed in visible relief and Misha smirked in amusement, then the smile left his face as he locked eyes with Kol while gently lifting Elena's arm.

"Kol, you've run with the witches of New Orleans—" he said

"Ran with, slept with, drank from—" Kol interjected, shrugging

Klaus rolled his eyes and Elijah crossed his arms over his chest as Misha continued, "Yes. Spare us the sorted details. Be serious for a moment, Kol, your work may not be done yet. Caroline and Elena have been cursed by an old friend of ours, a witch. They may not have a lot of time. _Please_. What do you know about lotteries?"

Kol straightened and his face turned solemn instantly, "It's a way for witches to channel power from other supernatural beings to power some of their bigger spells. It's never done by a single witch or warlock—he or she would need the cooperation and link of an entire coven to do it."

# # # # # # # # # #

Elena furrowed her brows as she walked through the French doors from the main courtyard of the Mikaelson Mansion and into the back parlor that attached to the dining room and then to the breakfast room.

She turned, looking around in awe of the completely empty house.

It was so quiet. She had never seen it this way before and decided she didn't want to see it like this ever again.

After a few moments, Elena rounded the long mahogany dining room table and walked through the threshold into the breakfast nook, peeking through the windows of the reinforced French doors that led out onto a small brick-walled patio that allowed those sitting on its comfortable, but expensive, wooden outdoor furniture to watch the activity on Dauphine Street in the busy New Orleans French Quarter.

Elena smiled broadly, then opened the door and walked through it…

Suddenly, there was a flash of light and she suddenly found herself, not on the brick patio in New Orleans, but in a forest clearing _somewhere..._..

Elena sucked in a breath when she saw the ruins of an old church in the distance and, crowded around what remained of the front of the church and altar, were a large group of people illuminated only by tiki torches placed in a large circle around the perimeter of the churchyard.

Elena looked around and suddenly realized she wasn't alone.

Men and women of all ages, races and creeds now slowly descended from the edges of the forest, as bewildered and surprised by their surroundings as Elena, as they made their way toward the lights and figures standing in the crumbling church like a magnetic pull was bringing them forward against their will.

Before Elena could approach any of them, there was a flash of light to her left and seemingly out a portal that materialized in mid-air, Caroline stepped out tentatively, the white high heel on her right foot hitting the grass softly.

Like Elena, she still wore her wedding attire.

"Caroline!" Elena called in relief and closed the distance between them with vampire speed, wrapping her arms tightly around her friend.

"Oh…" Caroline gasped, "Elena…You're alright..."

"What happened?" Elena asked hurriedly, pulling back, "How did you get here? Well—" she continued looking around them, "Wherever _here_ is, exactly?"

"I'm guessing I got here however you got here," Caroline replied, looking around too

"Is it just us?" Elena asked still looking around for any other portals, "Is everyone else alright? I don't remember much…all I remember is the wedding and then I woke up in here— _again,_ wherever here is. First I was in the mansion...it was abandoned...and then I walked out the door into the middle of nowhere."

"Well, back in the real world, you collapsed and we weren't sure _how_ or _why_ exactly—" Caroline started

Suddenly, there was a shadow behind them and Elena and Caroline turned to see a tall woman with dark red hair, looking them up and down with piercing grey eyes, and a wicked smile as she said, "I do, Darling."

" _You…_ " Caroline whispered, "I remember you at the reception…Klaus—"

"Took my heart," Lilith interjected, her eyes hard and cold and distant and locked on Caroline, "And now, I will take his."

Elena's nostrils flared at the witch's threat and she moved forward in a move to protect Caroline from Lilith, the veins under her eyes revealing her vampire nature, but Lilith waved her hand and Elena fell lifeless onto the grass.

Caroline immediately moved forward with vampire speed, but stopped suddenly, groaning in agony and falling to her knees as Lilith threw out her hands and unleashed a powerful mind control spell over her.

# # # # # # # # # # # #

"So," Misha said, thinking out loud, "Lilith waits over two hundred years until Vivienne's death gives her the opening she's been waiting for…She hitches a ride to New Orleans—"

" _Or_ she could have just lived here since that night in the cemetery…" Kol interjected then looked up to see Elijah, Misha, and Bonnie looking at him incredulously

"Oh…uh…sorry," Kol admonished, then waved at Misha, "Continue."

"Well, whether she was here all this time or not," Misha continued, "It seems obvious that she's been walking around in the skin of that poor lady from Texas for the last decade _at least_ , probably since she heard Klaus was back in corporeal form."

"You mean the first time he came back in Mystic Falls?" Bonnie asked and Misha nodded

"She was probably disguising her self in case he came back to New Orleans right away. Didn't want to give herself away too quickly."

"Lilith was always quite powerful, but that kind of possession magic over a long period of time means that she's _still_ packing some serious mojo," Kol added under his breath, "We need to be careful."

"So that was her way in…" Elijah whispered to himself, then said louder, "Niklaus inquired in the French Quarter about a witch or spiritualist who could perform a traditional binding ceremony..."

"And if he happened to approach any coven witches there, they would know to point Nik in Lilith's direction and if she found out he had his family with him...well, the more the better," Kol explained, "Supernatural creatures are hard to find in the city proper anymore—the closest beings are the werewolves out in the bayou. Perhaps you come across a vampire now and then, but the Mikaelson groupies would have left town _long ago_. Witches would _never_ siphon other witches, not unless they were utterly desperate, so that means that Lilith must have ensured their cooperation with the promise of a lottery. Like I said, lotteries are rare. The power of the witches of New Orleans is derived from ancestral magic, from their forebears buried in the soil beneath their feet. The only time they would perform a lottery is when they are trying to perform the kind of magic they can't channel through their ancestors…"

"Or are too ashamed, to…" Misha shrugged, adding, "Been _there_."

"Wow…you _are_ a morbid little queen aren't you?" Kol smirked, raising an eyebrow and Misha just puckered his lips in a kiss toward him

"So, taking Elena and Caroline for this lottery is revenge on Niklaus for the years she spent in bondage to our family?" Elijah asked, confused, "That seems a bit weak doesn't it, after over a century of planning? Why not just _kill_ Niklaus? She had to know the second she met him at the wedding rehearsal that he was human now."

"Come on, Elijah...you know better than that! She wants him to _suffer,_ " Kol said, then sniffed, "If it were me, I'd want him to suffer."

"Thanks," Klaus scoffed, but Kol ignored him as he continued,

"Taking Caroline makes sense if Lilith wants Nik to suffer, but _Elena_? That's a head scratcher."

"Kol is right. Klaus was who she was technically bound to," Elijah said, "He would have been the one who harnessed her power all those years. I had very little to do with her or any of the witches for that matter. I only really knew Vivienne in the years Klaus freed her. She must have taken Elena for another reason other than to enact some revenge on me as well."

"Elena is a doppelganger and possesses her own special brand of magic," Misha suggested, "If Lilith is as powerful as Kol says, she would have sensed it right away, practically the moment she met Elena."

"The nature of this whole thing seems _personal,_ " Bonnie interjected, "I think we should also try and find the underlying reason Lilith is doing all of this. Remember that she is trying to power a big spell. I for one am worried about what _that_ could be."

"I agree with Bonnie," Misha added

Suddenly, Misha turned to Klaus, "You were her Lord and Master for half a century, Nik, what do you remember about Lilith's time with your family? What about her past before she became bound to you? Anything you can give us might help figure out what kind of spell she's trying to power."

"I don't think—" Klaus started, then was interrupted as Elena started speaking, taking everyone in the room by surprise.

"It was many and many a year ago, In a kingdom by the sea," she said soflty, her eyes still closed and her body still and lifeless on the bed,"That a maiden there lived whom you may know, by the name of Annabel Lee; And this maiden she lived with no other thought than to love and be loved by me. _I_ was a child and _she_ was a child, in this kingdom by the sea, but we loved with a love that was more than love— I and my Annabel Lee— with a love that the wingèd seraphs of Heaven coveted her and me…"

"What the—" Misha started, then Elijah held up his hand

"Shhhh…" the older original said, cocking his head and listening with his vampire hearing, then his eyes met Klaus' "Caroline's talking too."

# # # # # # # #

"And this was the reason that, long ago, In this kingdom by the sea," Caroline recited with her eyes closed and her face solemn as the group entered the downstairs parlor and beheld her still lying on the couch, "A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling my beautiful Annabel Lee; So that her highborn kinsmen came and bore her away from me, to shut her up in a sepulcher in this kingdom by the sea. The angels, not half so happy in Heaven, went envying her and me— Yes!—that was the reason as all men know, in this kingdom by the sea, that the wind came out of the cloud by night, chilling and killing my Annabel Lee. "

"It sounds like a poem…" Bonnie mused, then looked as shocked as everyone else, when Klaus spoke the next verse.

"But our love it was stronger by far than the love, of those who were older than we—" he said, "of many far wiser than we— and neither the angels in Heaven above nor the demons down under the sea, can ever dissever my soul from the soul of the beautiful Annabel Lee."

"For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams of the beautiful Annabel Lee;" Caroline continued without missing a beat, "And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes of the beautiful Annabel Lee; And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side of my darling—my darling—my life and my bride in her sepulchre there by the sea. In her tomb by the sounding sea."

For a few moments the room fell quiet and Caroline went still once more.

"Well…so far so creepy," Kol mused, breaking the silence as he looked from Klaus to Caroline, then to Misha

"This isn't _them_ , Kol…" Misha replied, "It's Lilith. She is speaking through them...something she wants to say to us."

"Yeah…" Kol interjected again, "Something _creepy_."

"It's an Edgar Allen Poe poem, you uncultured swine," Klaus said, eyeing Kol, then turning to his own thoughts, "I had always wondered if it was about her…" he whispered thoughtfully, then looked to Elijah and said in a louder voice, "Annabel. _She_ is what this is about…"

"Annabel? Annabel LeFavierre, you mean?" Elijah asked, surprised, "Lilith _knew_ Annabel? _How?_ "

"Who is Annabel?" Misha asked, concerned

"The only Annabel I knew of was a werewolf," Elijah replied absentmindedly as he eyed his brother, "She was from one of the oldest werewolf clans in France, a princess technically, though her brother was acting alpha after he killed his grandfather and took over the pack. Niklaus tried to treat with him in the late 1700s when we lived outside of Paris, but they turned on us— ambushed us and tried to kill us—"

"Tried and _failed_ ," Klaus added, his eyes solemn, but deep as if hiding a painful memory that he wished to forget as he looked down, "Though Elijah was gravely injured. It was avenged, however."

"Niklaus…" Elijah suddenly was in front of his brother, he could tell Klaus was hiding something about the rest of the story, " _Look at me._ "

Klaus turned his head over his shoulder and did not meet his brother's gaze, "Elijah, you almost _died_ because of a situation I got you into…Vivienne had to intervene to save your life…I was distraught thinking I would lose you—and –"

"And _what_? Niklaus…" Elijah interjected, his eyes widening, " _Why_ is this about Annabel? Why is Lilith here? _What did you do?"_

Kol opened his mouth and stepped forward, but Misha grabbed his arm and shook his head as he said under his breath, "Stay out of it, Baby."

Klaus turned and faced his brother slowly, his eyes showing the cold hybrid he once was when he said, "Something that pained me at the time, but that I do not regret."

 _ **Feeling my way through the darkness  
Guided by a beating heart….**_

Elijah sucked in a breath then flared his nostrils and shook his head in disbelief

After a long pause, he said angrily, "And when Caroline and Elena are dead, will you regret it _then_?"

 _ **I can't tell where the journey will end  
But I know where to start….**_

Klaus closed his eyes in pain as Elijah stalked past Misha, Kol and Bonnie and left the room

"Elijah!" Misha, shocked by his words, called after the oldest original

 _ **They tell me I'm too young to understand,  
They say I'm caught up in a dream…**_

 _ **# # # # # # # # #**_

 _ **And that life will pass me by if I don't open up my eyes,  
Well that's fine by me….**_

Misha followed Elijah up the stairs minutes later, only to peek in through the bedroom door and see Elijah inhale a thoughtful breath as he looked down at Elena on the bed in front of him, before he slowly kicked off his shoes and shrugged off his suit jacket, folding it and tossing it on a nearby chair.

 _ **So wake me up when it's all over  
When I'm wiser and I'm older….**_

He then slowly lay down on his back next to her, brushing her cheek with the back of his hand and smiling softly before taking her left hand in his and holding it over his heart as he closed his eyes and rested his head back on the pillow.

 _ **All this time I was finding myself,  
And I didn't know**_ _**I was lost…**_

Misha smirked sadly and slowly pulled the door closed.

# # # # # # #

In the cellar of the Mikaelson Mansion, Kol handed a box of the magical ingredients Misha had wanted off to Bonnie as she tucked it under her chin, turned and started carrying it up the stairs.

Kol then turned back and handed the next box to Jeremy.

 _ **I tried carrying the weight of the world  
But I only have two hands….**_

Wiping the dust covering his hands off on the leg of his dress pants, Kol turned around and came to Rebekah's side as they stood and surveyed the room filled with furniture, clothing, paintings and other Mikaelson family heirlooms from the previous centuries.

 _ **I hope I get the chance to travel the world  
But I don't have any plans…**_

Then Rebekah smiled softly at her brother and turned, holding up the hem of her dress as she walked back toward the cellar stairs and started climbing.

 _ **I wish that I could stay forever this young,  
Not afraid to close my eyes…**_

Suddenly, something caught Kol's eye on the tall bookcases across the room. With vampire speed, he immediately found himself standing in front of it and plucking three large volumes from one of the lower shelves and opening them, flipping through the pages.

 _ **Life's a game**_ _**made for everyone,  
And love is the prize….**_

When he got to the middle volume and made it several pages in, his face softened as his eyes ran over the page.

 _ **# # # # # #**_

 _ **So wake me up when it's all over  
When I'm wiser and I'm older….**_

Klaus blinked slowly, sitting with his legs crossed and his hands folded in a steeple under his chin as he watched Caroline's peacefully sleeping form lying on the sofa in front him.

 _ **All this time I was finding myself  
And I didn't know**_ _**I was lost….**_

Suddenly a hand touched Klaus' shoulder from behind and he turned his head to see Kol standing next to him.

Giving him a sad smile, he handed Klaus a large leather bound book with vellum pages, opened to a specific page. Klaus immediately recognized one of his sketchbooks from centuries past—he had saved every single one.

 _ **So wake me up when it's all over….**_

As Klaus took the book tentatively into his hands, Kol whispered, "You should have told Elijah that you _loved_ her...you _and_ Lilith...I remember now...you _both_ loved her."

 _ **When I'm wiser and I'm older….**_

Klaus opened his mouth to speak, but Kol gave a small sympathetic smile as he turned and walked out of the room.

 _ **All this time I was finding myself…**_

Klaus turned his eyes back to the sketchbook in front of him, where a faded charcoal drawing of a woman with dark curling hair that fell loosely to her shoulders and piercing eyes, posed on a baroque period chair, a soft smile crossing her lips.

 _ **And I didn't know**_ _**I was lost….**_

When his eyes fell to the signature in the bottom right corner and the words – _Annabel 1797._

 _ **I didn't know I was lost…**_

Suddenly overcome with a large wave of memories and emotion, he closed his eyes and the sketchbook on his lap simultaneously, a tear streaming down his right cheek.

 _ **# # # # # # # # # #**_

After Jacob and Deacon, two of the warlocks from the French Quarter coven, carried Caroline and Elena to the church and the waiting group there, Lilith set off on her next task.

It was a task she wasn't looking forward to.

As she weaved her way through the St. Louis Cemetery, carefully stepping along the correct stone path among the maze of different ones that the ancestor witches of New Orleans had placed in the cemetery to keep those souls who still wandered after death from being able to find their way and enter the world of the living.

When Lilith reached the old mausoleum on the northeast corner, near the two hundred year old iron fence on a stone wall, she had to pull with some effort to get the door to open, but it did with a loud groan.

 _ **Wake me up when it's all over,**_

 _ **When I'm wiser, when I'm older…..**_

Holding up the flashlight on her phone in one hand, Lilith walked down the short row of loved ones whose crypts resided in the dark mausoleum.

When she reached the one on the far end, she straightened before stepping forward slowly, almost absent-mindedly, and reached out, gently running the fingers of her left hand over the words carved into the white granite stone face of the crypt.

 _ **All this time I was finding myself….**_

 _Annabel LeFavierre_

 _1776-1799_

Above the words were the symbol of a crescent moon rising over a French Fleur-De-Lis.

 _ **And I didn't know**_ _**I was lost….**_

After a long moment, Lilith pulled back and, holding the flashlight in her left hand and reaching out with her right, snarled, "Ne Faba Wescerentur!" and instantly the stone face crumbled away to reveal the sarcophagus inside.


End file.
